Angels and Demons (2009)
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman
Starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard
Release Date May 15th, 2009
Published May 14th, 2009
Dan Brown is the Stephanie Meyer of the conspiracy set. He may not have vampire teens but, he has an equally easy reading, mass appeal quality. Where Meyers adds faux Shakespearean dreariness to Vampire tropes, Brown takes the well worn ideas of the tinfoil hat set and adds suspense and complicated dialogue to create a worldwide phenomenon that millions love because the implied complexity of puzzles makes you feel smart.
Angels & Demons is, curiously, a sequel to 2005's worldwide blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. Curious because Angels & Demons was actually released before The Da Vinci Code which was its sequel. It doesn't really matter; if you check your Summer blockbuster for continuity or a modicum of good sense, summer movies likely aren't for you.
Tom Hanks returns in the role of Harvard Symbology Professor Robert Langdon. As if to show you how awesomely convoluted his stories are, Brown invented an entire field of study. Symbology is a thing but it's more commonly known as Semiotics, Symbology is just easier for audiences to understand, the root, symbol, very simple. When last we left Dr. Langdon he had discovered Da Vinci's secret about the Virgin Mary's burial plot.
Now, he's been called to Vatican City where the death of a pope has some wondering if murder were afoot. There is a whole lot of nonsense about the Hadron Collider, a scientist and his daughter, Dr Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), Hanks' obligatory sidekick, and the College of Cardinals, but none of it really matters. The crux of Angels & Demons comes down to Tom Hanks running about while various murders are committed at locations only a Symbologist could discover.
Ewan McGregor co-stars as Father Patrick McKenna who could be Langdon's ally or he could be the number one suspect. He could also be a red herring from the casting department. Trust me, once McGregor pulls a devastatingly convoluted bit of skydiving you will not care, either you will have given in to the goofball fun of Brown's low watt conspiring or you will be mid-nap. Stellan Skarsgard also appears in Angels & Demons as the head of Vatican Security and it becomes a red herring contest between he and McGregor.
I was modestly entertained by how silly and beach read-y Angels & Demons is. Ron Howard is far too talented a director for things to get too far out of whack. Howard, at the very least, keeps the energy level high. As for Tom Hanks, his good guy act is top notch. Hanks can't help but elevate this material as his innate likability can't be dimmed even by the most convoluted and nonsensical of plots. Hanks holds sway over an audience like few other actors are capable of.
Angels & Demons is mostly harmless popcorn entertainment. At over 2 hours, with multiple twist endings, it definitely overstays its welcome but if you are a fan of Dan Brown, Ron Howard or Tom Hanks you may just be forgiving enough to like Angels & Demons. There is nothing terrifically wrong with the occasional insipid bit of plot nonsense when you have Tom Hanks leading you past the silliness.
